Month: September 2017

McMaster going tobacco, smoke-free

McMaster University will become the province’s first tobacco and smoke-free campus next year.

As of Jan. 1, 2018, using tobacco and all oral smoking devices will be prohibited on McMaster campuses.

This includes the Hamilton campus, inside and on the grounds of the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington, as well as at all McMaster-owned properties.

The university said it is working to help students, faculty and staff adapt to the new policy and educate the community before it comes into effect.

“McMaster University recognizes the unique relationship that many Indigenous cultures have with traditional and sacred medicines,” says a post on Mac’s Daily News website. “As such, exemptions to this policy will be granted, upon request, to members of the McMaster University community.”

There will be phased-in enforcement of the designation starting in January.

For the first months, anyone found in contravention of the policy will be asked to stop or referred to supports and resources. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Netflix to commit $500M over 5 years on new Canadian productions

Internet streaming service Netflix will spend at least half a billion dollars over the next five years to fund original Canadian productions, CBC News has learned.

June 5, 2015

The funding will officially be announced tomorrow by Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly as part of a speech unveiling her vision for Canadian content and cultural industries in the digital world. It comes after months of public consultations, which were held last year.

The move could benefit both Netflix and the federal government, which has come under pressure to impose a tax on the service that could be used to fund Canadian programming.

Netflix has lobbied hard to avoid facing the kinds of requirements that traditional broadcasters in Canada have had to face for years.

Canadian broadcasters, for example, have to fulfil a quota of Canadian content they put on the air. They are also required to spend a percentage of their revenues to fund “programs of national interest” through contributions to the Canada Media Fund (CMF) — a requirement that was decreased to five per cent in a CRTC decision this past May.

Politically, the Trudeau government can now claim a victory for giving a leg up to Canadian producers without imposing a new tax on Canadians or going to battle with members of the industry to convince them to pitch in new money. (Source: CBC News)

Bombardier hit with 219% duty on sale of jets to Delta Air Lines

OTTAWA—Bombardier’s hopes for breaking into the U.S. commercial aviation market took a massive blow on Tuesday, as the U.S. Department of Commerce proposed a hefty 219 per cent duty on its CSeries jets.

April 4, 2017

The department ruled in a preliminary decision that Bombardier benefited from improper government subsidies, which gave the Montreal-based company an unfair advantage when selling south of the border.

The investigation was sparked by a complaint from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing, after Bombardier secured a deal for up to 125 of its CS100s with Delta Air Lines in April 2016.

The list price for the planes is around $6 billion, but the actual amount of money involved in the deal has not been made public and Boeing alleges Bombardier offered them for much less.

October 13, 2016

The financial penalties aren’t officially due until Bombardier delivers the first CS100 to Delta, which is expected in the spring. They could also still be dropped or refunded.

The key will be whether the U.S. International Trade Commissions finds that Bombardier-Delta deal actually hurt Boeing’s business, a decision that’s not expected until the spring. (Source: Toronto Star)

U.S. VP Pence blasts ‘failings’ of Canadian health system

The vice-president of the United States has some less-than-complimentary words for Canada’s health-care system, which he accuses of certain “failings.”

Mike Pence made the remarks in an interview last week with Alaska radio station KFQD.

He was being asked about the Republican health legislation struggling to get through Congress.

Republicans appear to be wrestling to get a bill that would repeal Obamacare through the legislature before a procedural deadline later this month — and the effort is in deep trouble.

Pence warned that if the legislative effort collapses, the U.S. will be on a course for something similar to Canada.

That’s because the Democratic party is starting to rally to an unprecedented degree around the idea of single-payer health care as a long-term solution to the U.S.’s endless health debates.

“We have a clear choice here,” Pence said.

“You know, somewhere in between where I’m sitting in Washington, D.C., and (you) Alaska, is a place called Canada. I probably don’t need to tell the people Alaska about the failings of national socialized health care because it’s right in our neighbour and you see the results every day.

“Look, we’ve got a choice: It’s between big government, Washington, D.C., solutions that ultimately, I believe, will collapse into single-payer health care — or whether or not we’re going to repeal the (Obamacare) individual mandate.”

Canada’s health system is known to suffer from long wait times, especially for elective procedures. On the other hand, Canadians not only have longer life expectancies, but also spend far less on health care than Americans according to World Bank data.

The Trump administration has just received a fresh round of bad news about its health-reform effort: After John McCain, Susan Collins became the latest senator Monday to say she opposes the Obamacare repeal bill, almost certainly dooming it. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Donna Skelly seeks Conservative nomination

Ending months of speculation, Coun. Donna Skelly says she is seeking the Conservative nomination for the new provincial riding of Flamborough-Glanbrook.

“It’s been a tough decision. I love what I do, and I’m really proud of what I’ve done so far on council,” Skelly said.

“The truth is I think I can do more for the entire city at the provincial level.”

Skelly, who was elected to Hamilton council in a March, 2016, byelection, says she submitted her nomination paperwork and was interviewed by PC officials last week.

“At this point, I haven’t been approved as a candidate yet.”

It’s widely believed the party has been courting the high-profile former CHCH TV broadcaster with the intention of either acclaiming or appointing her.

PC riding association president John Demik could not be reached. But would-be candidates Nick Lauwers and Dan Sadler have previously said the party told them it would not back their bids, strongly suggesting there was a preferred choice in the wings.

“I am not being appointed, I can tell you that,” Skelly said, adding she has no idea how many nominees the party might approve.

Skelly notes that the waning popularity of the Liberal government means a lot of people want to run for the Conservatives.

If Skelly doesn’t have to face an open nomination contest, she’ll definitely be squaring off against fellow Coun. Judi Partridge in the June 2018 election.

Partridge was recently acclaimed the Liberal candidate for the same riding.

Both reside within their wards and the boundaries of Flamborough-Glanbrook, a sprawling riding encompassing part of Hamilton south of Rymal Road, some of the Mountain brow, parts of Ancaster, all Waterdown, Carlisle, Glanbrook, Binbrook and upper Stoney Creek.

Skelly says the media might have fun reporting on the battle between the two councillors but she and Partridge get along “really well” and will conduct themselves professionally.